Ahpabatus fok cleahistg abtd polishing automobiles



Dec. 4, 1928. 1,694,120}

B. K. GILLESPEE APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AND POLISHING AUTOMOBILES Filed Aug. 23, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 [N VENTOR e K. G///e5,0/e

A TTORNE y Dec. 4, 1928, B. K. GILLESPIE APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AND POLISHING AUTOMOBILES Filed Aug. 23, 1927 Sheets-Sheet 3 B e K BY %4 ,v

TORNE Y Patented Dec. 4, 1928.

UNITED STATES BEE GILLESPIE, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNTA.

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING- AND POLISHING AUTOMOBILES.

Application filed August 23, 1927. Serial No. 214,936.

This invention relates to apparatus for use in the cleaning and polishing of auto mobiles, and has for its primary object the provision of means for conveying a plurality of automobiles along a described path and in such manner that the automobiles may be thoroughly cleaned both interior-1y and ex tcriorly and with utmost dispatch and with great saving in costs, and the provision of such apparatus and its means and mechanisms whereby the automobiles in course of treatment can be selectively discharged away from said described path according to the predetermined extent of treatment to be given a particular automobile.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of this character which will insure a positive induction of the automobile to the point or position it is to occupy during treatment thereof and a positive and quick translation of the automobile after treatment thereof from the position it occupied during the treatment.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of the type aforementioned which will accommodate an exceedingly large number of automobiles in a space of very small proportion.-'

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of an apparatus of the class herein set forth which will permit the automobiles to be successively introduced thereto and successively or at the will of the operator selectively discharged therefrom without the possibility of injuring the automobiles under treatment.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will more fully appear as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of the apparatus;

Figure 2 is a detail planview of a port-ion of the platform;

Figure 8 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4: is a View in elevation of the switching mechanism.

In carrying the invention into practice, I employ a horizontally disposed revolving platform, essentially embodying concentric annular metallic supports 55 carrying rollers 6 that are free to travel upon underlying tracks 7, the latter built into a foundation 8 which extends into the ground. The inner support 5 carries an annular toothed rack 9 which constantly meshes withthe driven pinion 10 of a power transferring equipment 11 in the foundation .8.

The annular supports 55 are spaced apart by connecting bars 12, and, as illustrated, these bars are arranged in mating pairs where they serve as bearings for the stub shafts 13 of anti-friction rolls 14:. These rolls are arranged parallel to one an other and in close side by side relation so that continuity of the roller surfaces is had throughout the exposed face of the platform. The platform has a width calculated to accommodate automobiles with their supporting wheels in free resting engagementwith the anti-friction face of the platform.

At one point in the circle described by the platform is a runway 15, the latter consisting of an entrance branch 16 and an exit branch 17, with the inner ends of both of said branches disposed tangentially to the platform one branch extendingto the right and the other to the left. The tangentially disposed inner ends of these branches are each provided with a longitudinal row of vertical anti-friction rolls 18 adapted to roll freely 5 against the sides of the tires as the automobiles are conducted to or discharged from the platform. These rollers are, therefore in coaction with the rolls let so that provision is made for a lateral shifting ofthe automo bile in effecting its position upon the platform or in guiding the same from the platform.

It will thus be observed that the platform is designed to accommodate a large number of automobiles and that said automobiles may be arranged one behind another with the front ends facing the same direction as they enter upon or leave the platform. The platform comes flush with the ground line A. so that the operatives can stand upon the ground or upon adjacent parts of the foundation 8 during some portions of the cleaning and polishing intervals. The platform so supports the automobiles that the operatives can freely walk over the platform where they may find entrance to the automobiles whose interiors are to be cleaned.

The motion of the platform is slow. It may be timed so that the interval necessary to conduction of an automobile to and a translation of the automobile from the platform will represent a cleaning and polishing period. The part to the left of the circle described by the platform may be said to represent such fractional portion of the rotation of the platform as may be required for washing and other cleaning of the interior and the exterior of an automobile and the part to the left or left half, Figure 1, may be said to represent the remaining fractional part of the rotation of the platform that may be required for a complete polishing of the automobile.

There are times when it may be desired to treat certain of the automobiles to a cleaning treatment only. By this, I mean that it might be desired to merely wash the automobile and perhaps clean the interior thereof. It is reasonable. to say the least, that in such instances it would not be desirable to mainta n a position of the automobile upon the platform, as it would hamper the handling of work to be performed. Therefore, and in order that an automobile that is to nucleigo a washing treatment only can be discharged from the platform at a point in the circle thereof other than the exit 17. I accordingly have made provision for the accomplishment of this object, and I herein show a mechanism 19 for this purpose. Reference may now be had to Figures 1 and a of the drawings, wherein it is observed that a horizontally swinging switch arm 20 is mounted upon a vertical rotary shaft 21 within the plane of the inner annular support 5 so that it may be swung to assume the full line position in Figure 1, where it is tangential to the platform, or it may be swung to the dotted line position where it will not block the path of travel of automobiles that are to be conveyed to the exit 17. The arm may be turned to its selected position by means of a hand lever 21. The arm carries a longitudinal row of closely related short idle rolls 22 which will come in free rolling contact with the sides of the tires of the automobile in course of ejection from the platform.

I have now fully set forth new, novel and useful means and mechanism for handling a large number of automobiles and. for effecting their timely d scharge from the platform at such point'in the circle thereof that will determine the character or amount of work performed upon a particular automobile and in so doing the automobile can be quickly returned to its owner.

Each pair of said bars 12 diverge relatively so that the bars of one pair are in close parallel relation to the bars 12 of the next adjacent pairs and, as illustrated, the anti-friction rolls 1 of each pair of said bars are, respectively, of graduated sizes. This closely relates the rolls of the respective pairs of bars with respect to each other, so that no dangerous spaces are formed in the platform in which objects could be caught while the platform is in motion.

The platform, consisting of the supports 5 P), the bars 12 and the rolls 14, is slightly inclined inwardly and downwardly in the direction of a raised curbing 22, the latter acting as an obstruction to check the descent of automobiles carried by the platform. In this manner, I, am able to counteract any tendency of the anton'iobiles to shift laterally in directions off of the platform, while the latter is in motion.

A switching or deflecting mechanism 23 similar to the mechanism 19 is employed and positioned. adjacent to the ex t 17 so as o '1 t in the operation of transferring the auton'iobiles from the revolving platform to the exit 17. i

A power plant and its tra rferring,mechaare illustrated at 24; for driving the p at This power plant and its transferring mechanism may be of any suitable w'ell-tnown form, preferably of the design to drive the platform at slow speed.

I claim as my invention: 1. In an apparatus for use in the cleaning and polishing of automobiles, an annular revoluble horizontal platform, means to perinit an automobile to be propelled upon the platform and means in the construction of the platform to permit the automobile to be delivered away from the platform from one of a number of relatively spaced apart exits.

2. An apparatus of the class described comprising an annular platform, means for revolving the platform and means to cause a tangential induction of automobiles to the platform and tangential translation of the automobilesfrom the platform.

3. An apparatus of the class described comprising an annular platform, means for revolving the platform and means to permit of a tangential induction of automobiles to the platform and a tangential translation of the automobiles from the platform, selective ly by way of one of relatively separated. exits.

4. An apparatus of the class described comprising an annular platform, means for revolving the platform and means to per mit of a tangential induction of auto1nobiles to the platform and a tangential transation of the automobiles from the platform, selectively by way of one of relatively separated exits, one of said exits having a swinging switch arm which, when moved to one position, intercepts the path of travel of the platform and is adapted to come in deflecting contact with the automobile to be discharged.

5. An apparatus of the class described comprising an annular platform, means for revolving the platform and means to permit of a tangential induction of automobiles to the platform and a tangential translation of the automobiles from the platform, selectively by way of one of relatively separated exits, one of said exits having a swinging switch arm which, when moved to one position, intercepts the path of travel of the platform and is adapted to come in deflect ing contact with the automobile to be discharged, and anti-friction bodies on the arm for free rolling engagement with the sides of the tires of the automobile.

6. A revolving Jlatform adapted to be countersunk in a foundation to come flush therewith, and means to cause a tangential delivery of automobiles to the platform and a tangential discharge of the automobiles from said platform while the latter is in rotation.

7. An apparatus of the class described comprising a revoluble platform, means to positively cause automobiles to be conveyed to and positioned upon the platform so that one automobile positioned behind the other, and means for effecting a tangential discharge of automobiles from said platform :hile the latter is in motion.

8. An apparatus of the class described tion to engage with the automobile to effect forced deflection thereof from the platform.

9. In apparatus of the class described, a revolving platform having an entrance from which automobiles may be propelled onto the platform, an exit, the latter separated from the entrance and adapted to permit automobiles to be propelled away from the platform, a switching mechanism arranged at one place in the platform for deflecting or urging automobiles from the platform, and a second switching mechanism correlated to the platform for deflecting automobiles from the platform and onto the exit.

10. In apparatus of the class described, a rotary iilatforn'i adapted to support in an annular series a number of automobiles, and a plurality of selectively controlled switching mechanisms correlated to'the platform and adapted to co-act progressively or selectively with automobiles to deflect or guide the samefrom the platform.

11. in apparatus of the class described, traveling means adapted to support automobiles, means to permit the delivery of auto mobiles onto the traveling means with the front end of one directly behind the rear end of another, and a plurality of mechanisms in co-action with the traveling means for selectively conducting automobiles off said means from relatively different portions thereof.

BEE K. GILLESPIE. 

